Chuck vs The Winemaker
by bulova678
Summary: Bryce returns, the gang work together to figure out and take down Fulcrum. Little romance, little angst, lots of Chuck and Sarah and a few new characters
1. Chapter 1

Chuck vs Winemaker

Chapter 1

Okay, so the Wienerlicious thing was getting a little old…. Not that she didn't like her assignment, it felt good being around Chuck and his family, and even her relationship with Casey had progressed past tolerable to a fairly comfortable partnership….all for the greater good, of course. But taking orders from a guy named Scooter was admittedly starting to get on her nerves. All she wanted was to put on her pajamas and relax…. A trip to the spa might be in order…nothing like a massage to relax and clear your head.

As she walked down the hallway to her room she decided the agenda for the rest of the evening. Order takeout, schedule time at the spa and go to sleep. Tomorrow she could get up early, go for a run and then report to Casey's apartment for debriefing. She called the front desk, fully intending on getting information on the best Chinese place for takeout and was informed there was a message waiting for her…. A piece of paper with "Omaha 11 Priority" written on it. So much for relaxation.

The phone rang at 11:00 pm sharp. Sarah stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath and picking up the receiver. Twenty-five minutes later she was in her car with Bryce and her mind was reeling. Fulcrum had penetrated multiple government agencies, but it was much deeper then they had initially thought. Fulcrum had something on Beckman, and Beckman was being pressured to put out a burn notice on Sarah, until they could set her up to be blacklisted.

Bryce studied her as he proceeded to elaborate on the effect this could have on Chuck and his cover, how he wasn't sure how much longer Beckman could stand the pressure without something breaking, how the latest chatter indicated a kill order on Chuck from inside Fulcrum and how he didn't think Casey was involved but couldn't be sure. Sarah stared at him in shock. "You need to protect yourself, Sarah. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. You're the only one that can keep Chuck alive and they're not going to make it easy for you. I've got to go….and Sarah…. be careful ….. this is bigger than any of us care to admit."

She stared at the empty space in the passenger seat as Bryce disappeared from her life for the third time and decided that "complicated" doesn't even come close to describing her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chuck knocked on Casey's door for the mornings briefing with Beckman and Graham. "Not very punctual this morning are you Bartowski." Casey sneered. "Where's Walker?" "I don't know" Chuck replied, confused. "I thought she'd be here." Chuck gave Casey a "what's with you today" look as he walked into Casey's apartment.

Just as Casey was about to shut the door Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Late night?" Casey said, as he blocked the doorway and looked at her for an explanation. Sarah forced her way past him. "Alarm clock's broken" she said flatly and walked over to the monitor where Chuck was already standing. "Hmm" Casey grunted, as he shut the door.

Sarah glanced at Chuck as she took her place next to him. Chuck glanced at her, then at the monitor, then back to Sarah before resigning his attention back to the monitor. She looked tired. Chuck checked again. Something was definitely off. Beckman was in the middle of explaining the next mission when his cell phone beeped. "Sorry" he mumbled, as he silenced his phone.

The General continued, "The Arch Bishop of Reiti will be speaking at a banquet this evening. Latest Intelligence indicates there will be an attempt on his life by a group of Muslim fundamentalists, but we have no idea how they plan to go about it. Chuck needs to be there to determine if anyone present is a threat. Chuck and Sarah will attend the banquet as a couple. Casey, you will go as staff. A team will be standing by if you need them. It is imperative that your cover remain intact. Forward any information to the team leader and let them take care of it. Do not engage any threat unless absolutely necessary."

Back at the Buy More, Morgan rushed over to Chuck. "Buddy, what gives? I've been trying to call you all morning. Are you screening your calls?" Chuck reached for his phone to return it to its regular setting. "Sorry my phone-" Chuck began. "Dude," Morgan continued, "its just wrong if you're screening calls from your best friend. Never mind…I have a situation. Anna gave me a turtle." Chuck looked at Morgan in utter confusion. "Like, a real one?" he asked.

"No man," Morgan replied desperately. "A stuffed one. This is going way too fast. Next she'll want things to be exclusive." "Um, Morgan," Chuck replied, "things are already exclusive." "Yes, but now it's _expected_" said Morgan emphatically. "Right" Chuck said. "Maybe she gave you a turtle because she recognizes the distinct resemblance, Sprout" Casey said dryly. "By the way, Big Mike's looking for you." "Great. If anyone asks, you haven't seen me." Morgan said as he rushed off.

Chuck narrowed his eyes at Casey for irritating Morgan while he reached in his pocket to check his phone. As he scrolled trough the four missed calls from Morgan he noticed a message from an unlisted number on the screen. Chuck glanced around the Buy More suspiciously, relaxing a bit in the comfort that there was nothing noticeably out of the ordinary. This spy thing was really making him jumpy. People get text messages all the time, he told himself. It was probably a wrong number. Feeling better, he checked the message. In capital letters were the words **TRUST NO ONE**. "Ok," Chuck thought, "maybe the message is for me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chuck walked over to the Weinerlicious to go over the plans for the evening with Sarah as his mind tried to make sense of the mornings events. "It's extremely important that we don't get separated for any reason tonight," Sarah said as she sat down across from him. "Got it" Chuck replied without emotion. His mind was still trying to make sense of the mysterious text message. Sarah noticed Chuck's mind was elsewhere. "Are you okay?," she asked, not masking the concern in her voice. "Yep. Fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?" Was the message warning him about Sarah? Or maybe it was Casey….then again maybe it was referring to someone else… but who?

"Did you flash on something?" Sarah's question pulled him away from his thoughts. "Uhh… Nope. No flashes," he replied. "Did something happen?," Sarah pressed. "Like what?" Chuck asked. "I … don't know. You tell me." Sarah stared at him trying to discern what was bothering him. "Talk to me, Chuck" she said. "Do you guys have a master cell phone directory of everyone in the country?" Chuck asked. Sarah was visibly confused. "What? Where did that come from?" Chuck studied her. "You really don't know?" "Know what? Chuck, what are you talking about? What happened?" Sarah tried her best to keep her frustration from surfacing.

Chuck studied her for several moments before handing her his phone. "Got an interesting text message today" he said. Sarah froze when she read the text message. She stood up and took his hand, pulling him out of his seat. "Chuck, we need to talk" "Wh-Where are we going?" he asked, surprised. "Out for lunch." she said.

Chuck looked at Sarah expectantly as they drove in silence. After several miles, she took a deep breath, which Chuck recognized as a precursor to very bad news. "Chuck, Fulcrum has put out a kill order for you." Chuck swallowed. "What!? Ca-Can't we stop them? Does Beckman and Graham know? Does Casey know? Can't they do anything?" Chuck was firing questions at her, something he did when he got nervous.

"Well, we're not sure who issued the order or who might be involved. Its possible Beckman has been compromised," Sarah said. "And to be honest, I really don't know if we can trust Casey or not." "But he's your partner" Chuck said. "Well, that's not our biggest problem." Sarah said. Chucks eyes were huge as he turned to face her. "There's _more_?!" he said. "They're pushing a burn notice through on me" "Yea, sure, one of those burn …. a what?," Chuck struggled to make sense of all the information she was presenting.

"A burn notice… its an official statement by one intelligence agency to other agencies, that an individual or group is unreliable" Sarah explained. "That's just the beginning. They are going through my service record to try to get me blacklisted as a potential enemy sympathizer." "Why? Wh..why would they do that, Sarah?" "With me out of the way, it would be easier to get to you. This way every agency, bank, you name it – would be authorized to make an arrest or notify the authorities." "Wait, how do you know all this? ..about the burn notice and…" Chuck asked. "I saw Bryce last night."

Chuck stared at her in disbelief for several moments. "Bryce is back?" he asked. "No. I..I don't know. I have no idea where he is now…he just wanted to let me know about this mess so we can try to stay ahead of it." "So what do we do?" Chuck asked. "Tonight, we go to the banquet and act like we know nothing. Report any flashes as usual. After the banquet, we're going to have to disappear for a while." "Disappear? Wait-what about my sister?" "They want the Intersect, Chuck. Ellie has nothing to do with that. The CARVER matrix would deem her an unlikely target."

Instantly Chucks head swam with images: the presidential seal- CARVER – a U.S. special forces building – a memo with the words: mission validity: **C**riticality- **A**ccessibility- **R**ecuperability – **V**ulnerability, **E**ffect – **R**ecognizability As Chuck's mind slowed, Sarah continued "By putting out a burn notice on me they appear to want to keep it as low profile as possible. A strike on your family or your friends would be messy, public, and hard to explain away. Cleaning the operation would be too impractical." Sarah pulled into the Buy More parking lot and put her hand over his in an effort to settle his nerves. "We'll figure this out Chuck. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The mission at the banquet went flawlessly. Chuck identified the assassin, and Casey stayed behind to talk to the team leader after the arrest mumbling something about impressive firepower as he walked away from Chuck and Sarah. Sarah turned to Chuck. "You ready?" she asked. Knowing the full weight of the question, Chuck took a deep breath. "Yeah. Ready."

They drove in silence for several minutes before Chuck spoke. "So, where are we going?" "Denver" Sarah replied. "Of course. Yeah. Umm…whats in Denver? Are we gonna catch a rodeo or something?" Sarah glanced over at him as she handed him a map.

"No Chuck, The an FBI and the CIA both have a field office there." And someone I can trust – I hope, she thought. "For now we need to keep a low profile and stay under the radar until we get a better handle on the situation." "Uh huh…and how are we going to do that in a Porche?" "Well, that's our first stop," Sarah said.

"You're getting rid of your car? But you love your car…can't you just store it somewhere?" Chuck looked at her, shocked. "No. And I'd rather not talk about it" Sarah replied. "Got it, sore subject" he said as he turned to watch downtown fade into the distance.

Sarah pulled the grey Nissan XTerra into a local motel shortly before midnight. "We'll stay here tonight," she said, "and get an early start tomorrow morning" She handed him a license and $200 cash. "In case you need it," she said. "I had to use a different alias." Chuck looked at the license "Charles Borden…eh…kinda plain…but its ok, I was getting tired of Carmichael anyway," Chuck deadpanned.

"You need to put this on," Sarah said. Chuck stared at the simple gold band she held out towards him. "Seriously?" Chuck said, as he took the ring from her. "Is this really necessary? I mean, I don't want to seem old fashioned but shouldn't we at least go on a few real dates before we…" "We don't need anybody asking questions," she interrupted, as she slipped a similar band on her own finger.

"Chances are they won't be looking for a married couple so that's the cover we're going to use." "This is so weird," Chuck said, as he slid the ring on his finger. "Ok, so…I'm going go check in. You need to…" Chuck cut her off, "Let me guess. Stay in the car?" She smiled. "I'll be right back," she said.

Moments later, Chuck followed Sarah into a small room on the first floor. "Umm… there's only one bed in here, Sarah." Sarah busied herself with her bag. "Uh, yea. We're married, remember?" She turned around. "Okay Chuck, we need to go over some rules." Chuck sighed. "I'll sleep on the floor." Sarah shook her head "Chuck, you're not sleeping on the floor." "Well, I'm not gonna let _you_ sleep on the floor!" Chuck said incredulously.

"Chuck! Nobody's sleeping on the floor! We're both adults, and we have bigger things to worry about than sleeping arrangements. Now I need you to listen to me. I need you to stay with me at all times. Do not turn on your cell phone and no calling anyone back home. I'm sure they'll have the phones tapped if they don't already. No credit cards either. And if anything happens, you call this number."

She handed him a piece of paper with a phone number on it. She checked the clip of her gun, laid it on the dresser next to the bed, and pulled back the covers. "We should get some sleep," she said, as she climbed into the bed.

"Sleep. Yeah. No problem." Chuck said dazedly as he sat down slowly on his side of the bed. Sarah turned to look at him. "No, I'm fine." Chuck said. "I actually find it's easier to sleep when I'm totally freaked out." Sarah rolled onto her side away from him to face the door and clicked off the light. "Goodnight, Chuck." "G'nite." he said, as he stared at the ceiling through the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Minor edit to this chapter….Thanks to CC for helping me out 

Chapter 5

Chuck tried to sleep but his mind was racing and after staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity he glanced at the alarm clock. Four thirty. Even if he could fall asleep, it would be pointless now since Sarah wanted to leave before six. Maybe a shower would help clear his head. Chuck got up slowly so he wouldn't disturb her. He stood in the shower and let the hot water run over him, easing the tension in his muscles. Feeling better, he finished his shower and was toweling his hair off when he heard a noise. He looked up to see Sarah standing in the doorway of the bathroom, stunned. "Oh! Oh! Oh God." she said dumbfounded, her hands in front her eyes trying to block Chuck from view still unsure where look. Chuck tried to wrap himself in the small motel towel as Sarah continued to stumbled over her words and tried to shield him with her hands from the doorway. "Sorry. Sorry. Oh God." She disappeared from the doorway. "Coffee…I'm going to go get some coffee", her voice trailed off as Chuck heard the motel door close. Sarah shook her head and sighed and as she made her way to the lobby. As much as she tried, she was unable to erase the memory of kissing Chuck, or the thoughts of him that drifted into her dreams. The view of Chuck this morning wrapped in a towel did nothing to help her resolve. She tried to clear her head, but Chuck continued to intrude her thoughts. She needed to go for a run. A very long, run till you drop kind of run that demands full mental attention and brings with it some degree of clarity. She glanced at her watch and decided to take the long way back to the room.

Thirty five minutes later they were back in the Toyota. Sarah had avoided conversation since she returned earlier with two large cups of coffee. Chuck decided to break the silence. "So, umm…" he began, as she turned her head slightly and looked at him with a serious expression. Abandoning the idea of broaching the topic of the morning's events, he opted for a different tact. "Well, I was just wondering what the plan is for Denver." Sarah relaxed a bit as Chuck continued. "I mean, I know I'm new at this and all, but I'm guessing that if we just walk into the FBI someone would notice." "Well, I have a contact that I'm hoping can help us," she replied. "Oh. That sounds promising. Anyone I know?," he asked, pointing to the Intersect in his head. Sarah glanced at him, before turning her attention back to the road, indicating she would not divulge any further information on the topic. Chuck took the hint. "Probably not." he said.

Feeling bad about stonewalling Chuck but having no desire to discuss Denver or the scene that morning, Sarah changed the topic. "Just out of curiosity," she began, "what reason did you give Ellie for going away?" Chuck brightened a bit at Sarah's effort to engage in conversation. "I told her that you and I hit a roadblock and we decided we would take some alone time together to work things out." "Oh. Well, that's good." Sarah said, nodding approval. "Where did you tell her we were going?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "I told her we were going to drive up to the Bay Area, maybe stop in Carmel and spend a few days in San Francisco before we head up to Tahoe." "That sounds nice." Sarah said, picturing a casual drive up the coast and smiling. Chuck continued. "She also provided us with a list of places to eat when we get there. So if you're ever in Tahoe and hungry I've got you covered." he said, pointing to his bag in the back seat. The sparkle had returned to Sarah's eyes when she turned and she grinned at him. "Thanks," she said, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Chuck watched as the landscape shifted from desert to mountains with concern. "You know, even though I said we were going to Tahoe I don't really have anything in my wardrobe to accommodate several feet of snow." "No problem" Sarah said with a smile. Chuck caught the devilish glint in her eyes. "What?" he asked as he gave her a wary look. "Nothing." She said innocently, with a big grin. Chuck eyed her suspiciously as fresh snow began to coat the foliage along the road.

"I figured we'd stretch our legs and grab something to eat." Sarah said as they pulled into a small pizzeria. The snow was beginning to accumulate and there was at least an inch covering the parking lot. Sarah turned off the SUV and grabbed a bag out of the back seat, handing it to Chuck. Chuck pulled out a ski jacket a pair of gloves. "Oh. Thanks. You really thought of… what is _this_?" he asked as he pulled the last item out of the bag. He held up a winter hat that looked like the Koopa's shell on Super Mario Brothers. "A hat with spikes? Did you really expect me to wear this in public?" he asked, as he put the hat on and faced her. Sarah tried in vain to hide her amusement. "You look like a snowboarder," she said, trying to be serious. "I look like an idiot." Chuck replied. Sarah grinned as he looked up at the stuffed spikes protruding from his head. "Nope. No sale." he said removing the hat from his head while trying not to smile. "The cactus stays in the car." "Ok," Sarah laughed as she opened the car door. "Lets eat."

They drove for the rest of the day, primarily in 4wheel drive, as the snow came down heavily most of the day. They finally pulled up to a small motel. The parking lot had been recently plowed, but there were already several inches of accumulation covering the asphalt. Chuck got out of the XTerra and ran a few steps before stopping to slide several feet across the snow covered parking lot. Sarah got out of the car and watched him glide across the parking lot and pick up some snow. "I forgot how much fun a foot of snow can be," he said. She smiled. "You want to help me take this stuff into the room?" she asked as she turned back toward the car. "Sure," he said as she felt a _thwap_ on the back of her coat as the snowball shattered. She stopped, straightened, and turned around slowly, cocking her head to the side. Chuck smiled innocently and shrugged his shoulders. "Chuck, this is serious…" "I know," Chuck said as he moved slightly to look past her with interest. As she turned to investigate the source of Chucks' distraction another snowball hit the front of her coat. She turned back around and tried not to be amused by the glint in his eye. He bent to pick up more snow and she cautiously stepped toward him with her arm out to block any further attacks. "Chuck, don't" she warned. Another snowball hit her hip as she turned sideways. "You know, I kinda thought an agent for the CIA would be better at this," he said playfully as he stepped away from her. "Chuck." her voice was filled with warning. Once again a snowball headed her direction. "I'm serious." More snow headed in her direction. "That's it!" she said, running toward him as she scooped up snow and sent it hurtling at him. They continued to exchange shots of snow as chuck ran for cover behind a large snow bank formed by the plow. He clambered to the top of it with Sarah in hot pursuit, fired a snowball at her and disappeared behind the other side. She cautiously peered over the top to see Chuck lying in the snow near the bottom. "Nice." she said with a smile. She filled both arms with snow and held it over his chest. "Give up?" she asked. "Never," Chuck replied. She dropped to her knees beside him as she released the snow onto his chest. "I believe that's an illegal move, Agent Walker," he said, as he looked at her and smiled, admiring the light that had been absent from her eyes for so long. She looked down at him for a moment. She sighed and reclined next to him in the snow. They both laid on their backs in silence, watching the snow fall as they caught their breath. She rolled on her side and propped herself up on her elbow, looking down at him. They admired each other silently, both lost in the moment. Sarah mentally shook herself out of the spell. "We should go inside." she said softly. "Yeah," he said, not eager to return to the world of danger and espionage. "I know."


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it's been awhile… This chapter was a little rushed so I hope its ok…please read and review… the feedback really helps the creative process and motivation.

Chapter 6

Sarah sat on the bed by Chuck and shook him gently to wake him. "Hmm…what time is it?" he mumbled as he tried to pull himself out of his slumber. "Early" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You have that number I gave you right?" "What? Yeah," he said, still trying to shake off sleep. "Good. If I'm not back by 11:30, call the number. And stay in the room while I'm gone. Please. Promise me."

"Wait" Chuck pulled himself up into a more of a sitting position, rubbed his eyes and willed them to focus on her. "Wait. Where are you….What are you…?" Chuck tried to form a coherent sentence but Sarah interrupted him. "Just promise." He noted the concern etched across her face and conceded. "Ok. I promise." "Good," she said as she stood to leave. "We'll talk when I get back. Go back to sleep." He watched as she picked up her gun and walked to the door and with a quick wave, she was gone.

Lexi could feel something was off as she walked down the street. She had stopped to get a newspaper to give her the opportunity to survey the scene and didn't see anything suspicious, but she couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed. Lexi walked two blocks and entered Starbucks. She pretended to look at the menu while making her way to the back of the store. She did a quick visual check before slipping out the side door into the alley.

She moved quickly down the alley before slipping behind a pile of debris near a dumpster. It wasn't long before her suspicions were confirmed. She trained her Smith & Wesson on the shadow that had been following her. "Freeze. FBI." She said, identifying herself as an agent. Her tail's hands lifted into a surrender position while slowly turning to face her. "Lexi, its me." Lexi's gun dropped an inch as she tried to mask her disbelief. "Sarah?"

Sarah studied her sister for a moment and lowered her arms slightly. Lexi adjusted her aim and narrowed her eyes. "Lexi, I… I didn't mean to… I have a problem and ….I could really use your help." Lexi continued to consider her sister silently. "Lexi, please. Just listen. That's all I ask."

They stood in silence and Sarah could almost see her sister's thought process. Although they hadn't spoke in recent years due to their jobs, they were very similar. Slowly, Lexi lowered her gun. "Ok. Talk." she said. "There's someone I'd like you to meet," Sarah said.

Chuck paced the floor of the small hotel room, checking his watch every 30 seconds. Eleven twenty eight and still no Sarah. He sat on the bed and flicked through the channels trying to distract himself from his watch. He froze as the doorknob turned. Relief washed over his face as Sarah entered the room. "Hey." Chuck said, trying not to sound concerned. As he got up he noticed she was not alone.

He stared in disbelief as another blonde entered the room. She looked a few years older, but the resemblance was unmistakable. "Lexi, this is Chuck." Chuck's eyes grew wide as images flashed through his brain. Lexi noted the change in Chuck's expression as he flashed. "What was that about?," Lexi asked Sarah. "Alexis Carter." Chuck said. "You're FBI."

Sarah looked at her sister as Lexi stared at Chuck. "You've heard of the Intersect?" Lexi studied warily Chuck a moment longer before turning to responding to her younger sister. "The big computer thing you guys were working on that was supposed to analyze and predict threats. I've heard mention of it. Why?" Lexi asked. "Because Chuck IS the Intersect," Sarah said.

Lexi looked at Chuck, then looked at Sarah. "What?" Lexi said, unable to make sense of Sarah's statement. Sarah sighed. "You might want to sit down."

The next twenty minutes were spent explaining the story of the Intersect from Chucks "download" through Sarah's current blacklist status. "So that's what all the chatter's been about," Lexi said, more to herself than Chuck or Sarah. She took a few moments to absorb the information presented. "So your partner. You don't know where he stands?" Lexi asked, referring to Casey. "I'm pretty sure he's on our side, but I couldn't risk it," Sarah said. Lexi nodded, looked at Sarah, then Chuck, then back to Sarah.

"Because he's the Intersect," Lexi said. "Uh huh," Sarah said as she nodded. Lexi's eyes narrowed as she studied Sarah for a moment, noting the concern on her face and knowing there was more to this mission for her sister than protecting a database. "Right. And you want me to get you access to the FBI server. Sarah, this is crazy. You realize what you're asking me to do here?" Sarah watched her sister without answering, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

Several minutes passed before Lexi spoke again. "Ok. But I want full disclosure. No holding out on me." Sarah didn't answer. "I mean it, Sarah. I don't want any surprises. I know you've never been fan of sharing but this is a serious mess you've got yourself in. If you withhold information from me, I'll walk away. I don't care what the situation is."

Sarah hesitated, not wanting to address the level of Bryce's involvement, or the extent of her involvement with Bryce or Chuck, but she knew her sister could tell there was more to the story. Lexi got up. "Fine," she said, as she reached for the door. "Ok." Sarah said. Lexi turned around slowly, and looked at Sarah. "Ok." Sarah said again, sounding more sure of herself this time. "Full disclosure." Lexi nodded slightly and returned to the seat she had recently vacated. "So. You want to tell me the rest?" she asked.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry it took so long… life got a little crazy… hope you all like it…

Chapter 7

Sarah pulled Chuck aside and asked him to give her time alone with Lexi. "Ok…I'll poke around outside… you know, make sure everything's secure," Chuck said with a grin. Sarah smiled "Thanks." As Chuck closed the door behind him Sarah turned towards Lexi and began telling her about the months leading up to the destruction of the Intersect.

"So, Bryce was your partner, and you were…" "It was a mistake," Sarah stiffened. "Uh huh. You're sure you can trust him?" Lexi asked. "As much as I can trust anyone in this mess," Sarah replied. "And what about Chuck?" Sarah straightened and tried to sound nonchalant. "What about him? He's my asset. That makes him my responsibility."

Lexi regarded her sister's change in demeanor. "Is that all he is?" she inquired. "Yes," Sarah replied. Lexi watched Sarah silently and waited for the truth. Sarah shifted uncomfortably under her sister's gaze. Frustrated, she tried again. "With Chuck things are … complicated … he's my asset… but our cover is…" Lexi decided to stop the suffering, Sarah's hedging and behavior towards Chuck told her all she needed to know.

"OK. Never mind." Lexi said, as Sarah relaxed. "I just need to know that you'll be able to make the tough decisions, Sarah. Because this little 'us against the U.S. government slash Fulcrum' scenario is likely to involve some tough decisions." Sarah became indignant. "I can do my job, Lex," she said firmly.

"Yeah, well, even being at the top of our game may not be enough for this particular venture. Speaking of… does Chuck realize the magnitude of all this?" Sarah dropped her eyes to study the pattern in the carpet. "I didn't really elaborate on it…"

Lexi nodded. "We should probably keep it that way for now… so… did you have a plan regarding how to proceed from here?" Sarah looked up, apprehension mixed with resolve in her eyes. "I need you to get Chuck access to the FBI server."

"What!?" Lexi leaned forward in the chair and looked at Sarah hoping she had not heard her correctly. Please tell me there's a Plan B available for consideration." "Computers are his thing. He's our best shot at extracting the data." Lexi shook her head. "I really don't like this."

Chuck opened the motel door and could feel the tension in the room. Sarah was sitting on the bed, Lexi was sitting at the small round table in the room staring at the carpet. "Hey!" "Did you know…" Everything ok?" Chuck asked. "Peachy." Lexi said, unconvincingly. Chuck watched Sarah in an effort to gauge the situation. Lexi too waited for Sarah to speak.

After several minutes Sarah stood and walked over to Chuck. "Chuck, I need you to access some files. I'm sure they're encrypted, but we need to see if there's anything there we can use to make sense of all this. If I get you inside the FBI, can you do it?" Chuck was shocked. "Wouldn't it be safer to do it remotely? I mean, it would be a bit more difficult, but we'd be less likely to get caught… physically."

Lexi looked at Sarah. "I'm liking this option… what exactly do we need?" Chuck looked at Lexi. We're gonna need to go shopping. You wouldn't happen to have a Buy More around here would you?" Chuck asked. "Why do I have the feeling my bank account is not going to like this?" Lexi asked. Chuck grinned and shrugged his shoulders as Lexi got up. "Alright, lets get this over with," she said as she headed for the door.

Sarah looked in the back of the SUV at the makeshift tech unit. Chuck was busily connecting wires and running tests. He handed Lexi a small flash drive looking device. "You need to get this plugged into the server. After that, give me 20 minutes, then remove it and get out of there." "Got it" she said. "We'll stay off the radios just to be safe. You've got fifteen minutes to get that to the server." Lexi looked at Sarah. "Yeah. I got it," Lexi said a bit impatiently. Lexi checked her watch. "Well, here we go…" she said as she walked down the street toward FBI Headquarters.

Sarah watched for any suspicious activity on the street as Chuck worked in the back of the SUV. The data transfer was quite possibly the longest twenty minutes of her life. Chuck gave her a thumbs up and a smile. "Got it" he said. Sarah started the vehicle and hoped Lexi managed to avoid suspicion.

Two hours later Lexi walked into the hotel room as Chuck and Sarah were pouring over the files. "Find anything useful?" she asked as she placed a large bag of Chinese food on the table. Sarah jumped up. "Where the hell have you been?" "I had to lose a tail…and I figured we have to eat so… I took a little detour." Lexi said nonchalantly as she started unpacking the food.

"Hey! Hey! I think I found something!" Chuck said from the other side of the room. Sarah and Lexi looked at the screen Chuck was pointing to. It was a memo that alluded to a previous mission of Agent 50414 that indicated ties to Fulcrum and a key role in the development of a shadow government.

Sarah blanched as she lowered herself slowly onto the bed. "What?" Lexi said, concerned. Shocked and horrifiedby the fabricated information, Sarah stared at the screen for a moment longer before she turned to look at her sister. "I'm agent 50414." Lexi's attention returned to the screen in front of them. "This is so not good," she said as she sat down under the weight of the latest development.


End file.
